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Disciplines:

Biotechnology

Nanotechnology

Polymers

Research:

The Irvine laboratory works at the interface of materials science and immunology. Synthetic materials can be applied in two major ways to 'immunobioengineering': (1) Synthetic materials can modulate the function of immune cells by mimicking signals derived from the immune system or foreign pathogens, both as a probe for cell function and as a tool for immunotherapy— both in vitro and in vivo; (2) Synthetic materials can be used to create in vitro and in vivo models of the microenvironment present in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues, to better understand immunobiology in health and disease. To meet these goals, engineering must be married to an in-depth appreciation for the biology of these problems. Their laboratory is thus deeply interdisciplinary in every project. Key to their approach is a balanced emphasis on both the engineering and immunological aspects of the problems the Irvine group has chosen to address: In each of these projects, state of the art chemistry, polymer science, physics and immunology are combined to address critical biological questions and medical challenges.

The industries of immunotherapy and vaccination are on the brink of major breakthroughs, and many developments in the field are heavily focused on materials science. Safely modulating the immune system in patients with cancer is one of the biggest challenges at present, but developments in...

MIT researchers have shown that they can use a microfluidic cell-squeezing device to introduce specific antigens inside the immune system’s B cells, providing a new approach to developing and implementing antigen-presenting cell vaccines.

Darrell J Irvine To be Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the pending induction of Darrell J. Irvine, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Engineering and Materials Science...

A polymer film that gradually releases DNA coding for viral proteins could offer a better alternative to traditional vaccines; Professor Darrell Irvine and his collaborators are working on just such a technology. See the...